A teenager will get to see the t-shirt she designed for a competition displayed at the Amex and worn by Albion’s mascots after beating hundreds of other entries.
The Brighton and Hove Albion Foundation asked children to send in their most colourful and inclusive shirt designs to promote Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign and show support to the LGBTQ+ community.
DJ Norman Cook AKA Fatboy Slim joined a Seagulls' supporters' group chairman Stuart Matthews, Gillian Martin from the Fan Advisory Board and the Albion's LGBTQ+ staff network chairman Paul Callander on the judging panel.
After a tough judging process, the panel chose Livs Cook’s design as the winner.
The 14-year-old received two tickets to Brighton’s home game against Brentford on Wednesday, the club's designated Rainbow Laces fixture, where she will be able to see her design as a huge centre-circle display.
The shirt will also feature in the players' pre-match warm up and it will be worn by Albion mascots Gully and Sally.
Livs, from Bognor, was over the moon to win the competition.
"I'm super excited, it came as such a shock to me," she said, "I’ve been a huge Brighton fan since the day I could talk due to my grandad sharing his passion for the club he’s supported since he was little, which makes this experience even more amazing.
"It's going to feel incredible seeing my shirt design on the pitch at the Brentford game, I can’t wait to share that moment with my grandad and the rest of my family."
The competition was a collaboration between the Albion and the Foundation, who worked together with Nike to produce the jerseys.
After the Brentford fixture, the players’ warm-up shirts will be auctioned off to raise funds for the Foundation.
Livs' design shows a classic blue-and-white Albion shirt at the bottom, which bleeds into a rainbow-coloured design at the top.
"I really wanted to see if I could incorporate the traditional Brighton blue and white striped shirt into my design," Livs said.
"I thought that the drips of rainbow colours would represent the merging of the rainbow laces with the Albion. I also added the writing as I wanted to emphasise the point that everyone is equal in sport.”
Mum Vicki Elcome said she is incredibly proud of Livs for her design.
"The whole family are proud of Livs achievement," she said.
Sarah Byrne, who promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion at the BHAFC Foundation, was delighted to see so many children get involved with the competition.
"To have had so many entries has really blown us away,” she said.
"It's heartening to know there are so many young people in Sussex who are passionate about supporting the LGBTQ+ community.”
The Rainbow Laces campaign was launched by Stonewall in 2013 and is supported by the Premier League.
All year the BHAFC Foundation holds inclusivity workshops, highlights campaigns, and holds competitions to engage young people and spread the word about LGBTQ+ inclusion.
All Premier League clubs will be celebrating Rainbow Laces in their fixtures between December 2 and 7. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the campaign, with the message “Let’s Lace Up to Keep It Up”.
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